Blood centers form a strategic alliance

Heartland, BloodCenter of Wisconsin seek efficiencies

AURORA, Ill — Heartland Blood Centers and BloodCenter of Wisconsin will form a strategic alliance that will offer a more comprehensive range of transfusion medicine services to hospitals.

This alliance, which will be final at the end of 2012, will help improve patient outcomes and create operational efficiencies.

The organizations will now focus on identifying cooperative efforts to provide new and better ways to advance and save patient lives, increase the quality of service to hospitals and reduce the cost of health care.

“Hospitals nationwide are looking for new and better ways to provide high-quality patient care,” said
Dennis Mestrich, president and CEO of Heartland Blood Centers.

“Organizations that provide vital resources such as blood service to hospitals also need to look at new models of operating that will continually improve the value and quality of service. Our two organizations will create such a model through sharing expertise and resources.

“The critical partnerships our organizations have built with donors and sponsoring organizations remain as important as ever to provide life-saving blood to patients in need.”

Heartland Blood Centers and BloodCenter of Wisconsin have a long history of working together, dating back to the 1980s, when they, along with other organizations, formed a group purchasing entity to keep cost structures in line and to spur innovation. They have worked together to serve hospitals and implement new technology.

According to Jacquelyn Fredrick, president and CEO of BloodCenter of Wisconsin, the alliance between these two organizations is especially fitting because of their shared values and commitment to their charitable missions.

“When two successful organizations join together, the result is exciting opportunities that can lead to new products, new solutions and new services to meet patient and hospital needs,” Fredrick said.

“Given our two organizations’ strong records in quality, innovation, service and operational expertise, we believe this combination will lead to exceptional transfusion medicine services for the hospital systems we serve.”

Heartland Blood Centers has been providing blood products and services to patients in Illinois and Northwest Indiana since 1943. With nearly 70 years of service to its communities, Heartland is the oldest blood center in Illinois and among the oldest in the country.

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